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I made this throwaway to reply to this. I'm the son of political exiles from a third-world communist country who taught myself programming through reading the

I made this throwaway to reply to this. I'm the son of political exiles from a third-world communist country who taught myself programming through reading the web. Everyone around me, including my family, insisted I was wasting my life with software and didn't support that erudition. They would joke I would be watching porn all day. But because it was available online, they couldn't stop me. By the time I was in my early 20s, I made it to FAANG to the most expensive city in the world, and made three times what my family household had made. Everyone else from my socio-economic class in my birth city remains in that city without exception; I even had offered to teach my friends programming in middle school but they refused. In that regards, I don't care about this abstract objective of equality, that's certainly worth eschewing to increase income mobility and move people from poverty. Concern for financial equality over welfare just inspires disgust in me.

eat_veggies 6y ago
Thank you for sharing your experience. I would note that there are not enough FAANG jobs to allow everyone to follow the same path as you did, even if they worked just as hard. Software can surely elevate a select few out of poverty, and at the moment, there is still enough room for a few more people. But what we're seeing in e.g. India is that it's not enough: https://restofworld.org/2020/india-engineering-degree/ https://restofworld.org/2020/india-engineering-degree/
brundolf 6y ago
I will admit that it's a privileged position to even have the opportunity to think about broader inequality. My personal needs are thoroughly met, and that's why I'm in a position to make personal decisions based on this stuff. Lots of people's needs aren't being met, and I'd never blame them for putting those above abstract ideals. But it sounds like inequality and the abuse of power are the very things you escaped, no? Surely you at least sympathize with those still in that situation, whether your current circumstances allow you to take any action on it or not?
- political_exile 6y ago
  I escaped very low welfare not inequality. I choose welfare over equality any day, equality is an abstract objective that doesn't have any meaningful effect. If inequality is what it takes to increase welfare, then I openly welcome that beneficial status quo.

eat_veggies 6y ago

Thank you for sharing your experience. I would note that there are not enough FAANG jobs to allow everyone to follow the same path as you did, even if they worked just as hard. Software can surely elevate a select few out of poverty, and at the moment, there is still enough room for a few more people. But what we're seeing in e.g. India is that it's not enough: https://restofworld.org/2020/india-engineering-degree/ https://restofworld.org/2020/india-engineering-degree/

brundolf 6y ago

I will admit that it's a privileged position to even have the opportunity to think about broader inequality. My personal needs are thoroughly met, and that's why I'm in a position to make personal decisions based on this stuff. Lots of people's needs aren't being met, and I'd never blame them for putting those above abstract ideals. But it sounds like inequality and the abuse of power are the very things you escaped, no? Surely you at least sympathize with those still in that situation, whether your current circumstances allow you to take any action on it or not?

political_exile 6y ago
I escaped very low welfare not inequality. I choose welfare over equality any day, equality is an abstract objective that doesn't have any meaningful effect. If inequality is what it takes to increase welfare, then I openly welcome that beneficial status quo.